Former Cy Young Award Winner Named X-Factor For San Francisco Giants This Year

With the start of the regular season right around the corner for the San Francisco Giants, there are numerous questions about the team heading into the upcoming campaign. 

It was an interesting winter for the Giants, who entered the offseason with a couple of goals in mind. 

First, improving a lineup that has been poor for a few years was important, and they were able to do that with the addition of Willy Adames.

However, while the talented shortstop makes their lineup better, they did suffer a significant loss in their rotation with Blake Snell going to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Even though the talented left-hander struggled to start the campaign, he ended up performing like one of the best pitchers in baseball in the second half. 

To replace him, San Francisco signed veteran Justin Verlander to a one-year deal. But, it’s impossible to predict what the 42-year-old will be able to contribute at this stage of his career. 

With that being said, it will put some pressure on other members of the starting rotation to perform up to their abilities. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently spoke about former AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray being the X-factor for the Giants this coming season. 

“Ray has nonetheless looked terrific this spring, fanning nine over five scoreless innings. The Giants need more of that, as Ray is frankly a better bet to be a solid No. 2 behind Logan Webb than a 42-year-old Justin Verlander.”

Since winning the AL Cy Young with the Toronto Blue Jays, it has been a tough road since for the 33-year-old left-hander.

Ray made just seven starts for San Francisco in 2024 after being acquired by the team in the offseason. The results weren’t great, with him totaling a 3-2 record and 4.70 ERA. 

Considering he was once the best pitcher in the American League and is making $25 million this coming year, the Giants need the southpaw to stay healthy and perform well to help make up for the departing Snell. 

While Logan Webb is a strong anchor at the top of the rotation, this is a unit that has plenty of question marks right now. 

What makes Ray the X-factor is the ability to be an ace for this staff if he is healthy. 

If San Francisco can get the 2021 version of the left-hander and pair him with Webb at the top of the rotation, the unit will instantly look better. However, it’s hard to predict what Ray will be going forward. 

Hopefully the former Cy Young winner can stay healthy and be productive for the Giants in 2025.

If he is, it would go a long way toward helping the team.